The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 2 eBook

The valiant son of Vasava, however, with his arrows,
cut off those arrowy showers of Bhagadatta before
they could reach him. The king of the Pragjyotishas,
then, baffling that arrowy shower of Arjuna, struck
both Partha and Krishna, O king, with many shafts
and overwhelming both of them with a thick shower
of shafts, Bhagadatta then urged his elephant for
the destruction of Krishna and Partha. Beholding
that angry elephant advancing like Death himself,
Janardana quickly moved his car in such a way as to
keep the elephant on his left. Dhananjaya, although
he thus got the opportunity of slaying that huge elephant
with its rider from the back, wished not yet to avail
himself of it, remembering the rules of fair fight.
The elephant, however, coming upon other elephants
and cars and steeds, O king, despatched them all to
Yama’s abode. Beholding this, Dhananjaya
was filled with rage.

SECTION XXVII

“Dhritarashtra said, ’Filled with rage,
what did Partha, the son of Pandu, do to Bhagadatta?
What also did the king of the Pragjyotishas do to
Partha? Tell me all this, O Sanjaya!’

“Sanjaya said, ’While Partha and Krishna
were thus engaged with the ruler of the Pragjyotishas,
all creatures regarded them to be very near the jaws
of Death. Indeed, O monarch, from the neck of
his elephant, Bhagadatta scattered showers of shafts
on the two Krishnas, staying upon their car.
He pierced Devaki’s son with many arrows made
wholly of black iron, equipped with wings of gold,
whetted on stone, and shot from his bow, drawn to
the fullest stretch. Those shafts whose touch
resembled that of fire, equipped with beautiful feathers,
and shot by Bhagadatta, passing through Devaki’s
son, entered the earth. Partha then cut off Bhagadatta’s
bow and slaying next the warrior that protected his
elephant from the flank, began to fight with him as
if in sport. Then Bhagadatta hurled at him fourteen
lances of sharp points, that were bright as the rays
of the sun. Arjuna, however, cut each of those
lances into three fragments. Then Indra’s
son cut open the armour in which that elephant was
eased, by means of a thick shower of arrows. The
armour thus cut off, fell down on the earth.
Exceedingly afflicted with arrows shot by Arjuna,
that elephant, deprived of its coat of mail, looked
like a prince of mountains destitute of its cloudy
robes and with streaks of water running down its breast.
Then the ruler of the Pragjyotishas hurled at Vasudeva
a dart made wholly of iron and decked with gold.
That dart Arjuna cut in twain. Then cutting off
the king’s standard and umbrella by means of
his arrows Arjuna quickly pierced that ruler of the
mountainous realms with ten arrows, smiling all the
while. Deeply pierced with those shafts of Arjuna,
that were beautifully winged with Kanka feathers, Bhagadatta,
O monarch, became incensed with the son of Pandu.
He then hurled some lances at Arjuna’s head